Synthetic sweeteners are known in the art and are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,294,551 (cyclamates), U.S. Pat. No. 319,082 (saccharin), U.S. Pat. No. 2,275,125 (cyclamates) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,492,131 (aspartame). EP-A 308,371 discloses 4-A.sub.3 a-saccharrin.
However, previously developed synthetic sweeteners often exhibit a strong and disagreeable aftertaste or a relatively short storage life before losing all or part of their sweet character.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a synthetic sweetener that has a palatable aftertaste. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a synthetic sweetener with a long storage life, making it ideal for incorporation into packaged foods and beverages. A feature of the present invention is its ease of synthesis. An advantage of the present invention is that it can be readily processed into a variety of forms including tablets, powders, and syrups. These and other objects, features and advantages will become apparent upon having reference to the following description of the invention.